Night World Players

Chapter 267 Guardianship: The Future Between You and Me

Beijing, United Hospital.

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the treetops, casting dappled shadows in the ward.

Hiltina gently closed the door, then sat down by the bed and quietly watched the sleeping boy on the hospital bed.

Compared to two years ago when he was still a Night Traveler at Starry University, fighting alongside Hiltina in the historical echoes of the Night World, the boy's hair was now noticeably longer, with his dark, tousled hair slightly obscuring his eyes... Although she couldn't see his eyes because he was asleep, Hiltina knew that the boy's eyes, like his hair, were a deep black.

Perhaps it was due to the hospital's meticulous care, and the combined use of various methods, including medical technology, alchemical potions, the healing abilities of the Abundance sequence, and healing-type Nightblades.

His complexion had improved considerably; although still pale, it had regained some color, a stark contrast to when Hiltina first saw him unconscious two years ago—his face was deathly pale from blood loss, as if he were about to die at any moment.

Hiltina gently reached out and slipped her hand into the pristine white sheets.

Then, she quietly took the boy's hand.

The other person's body temperature is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, carrying a faint warmth.

"It's so quiet here today... It's completely different from when I usually come to see you."

Hiltina gazed out the window at the tranquil and peaceful cityscape bathed in bright sunlight.

"My coronation ceremony will be held in a few hours."

"The reason why the people are so quiet now is probably because they are waiting for this ceremony to begin."

"In your words, this is what's called 'the calm before the storm.'"

Hiltina smiled.

Having spent so much time with Rust, she had also picked up a lot of new vocabulary and idioms from his presence.

For example, phrases like "the old gravediggers" and "curiosity killed the ferret" are words she acquired after meeting the boy.

"After the coronation ceremony is completed."

“My father… will then completely abdicate the throne.”

"And I will truly take over the position of the ruler of a country, become the Empress of the Empire, and at the same time... also bear the weight of the crown and the weight of the destiny of a country with hundreds of millions of subjects."

She closed her eyes slightly.

And so I felt the warmth transmitted through our tightly clasped hands.

Those hands were no different from the hands of the boy who had wrapped around her back and held her tightly in the icy waters of Deep Blue Harbor in the past; they still carried an indescribable warmth.

"Although I said before that I was greedy and wanted it all..."

"Whether it's the royal duty, the ideals of the shore guards, or you, Rust, I'm unwilling to give up any of it..."

"However, when that day actually arrives, I can't help but feel a little hesitant."

"After all, I was just a princess before, the future heir."

"Compared to handling political affairs, managing military affairs, and deciding the future of an entire country... based on my past life experience, it is actually easier for me to simply cut down all the enemies with a sword."

"However, once I truly become the empress of a country, I will never be as willful as before... I will have to think things through carefully on many occasions, instead of just thinking about things on a whim."

"This is the path I decided to take two years ago when I made up my mind, and these difficulties and obstacles were to be expected."

"Therefore, I will not regret making this choice..."

"Even so, to this day, I still often worry that I haven't done well enough, or that some details could have been handled better or more thoroughly, and that I haven't achieved true perfection."

Hiltina smiled with a hint of self-deprecation.

"In that sense, I was actually too weak at times."

"After all, such hesitation and indecision are things that a qualified king should never show."

"Everyone has a completely different view on the concept of being a king, the so-called 'royal way'."

Historically, some tyrants believed that "only the proud and arrogant can be kings."

He viewed "human beings" as beasts who could not celebrate life without sacrifice.

"Some rulers believe that a true king is one who shows the world his life and lives a more exciting life than anyone else."

"Only a person who gathers the wishes of all his subjects and becomes their goal and direction deserves to be called a king."

Her voice paused slightly.

"But for me, for the human named Hiltina..."

"The so-called kingly way, the so-called right way, is to never regret it, no matter what happens, even if you make a mistake."

"From beginning to end, I have always believed in the path I have taken, and I will never complain even if I am trapped in hell."

Even if you are at the end of your rope and in a miserable state, you should never deny the path you have walked in the past.

She spoke again softly, but her words were no longer self-deprecating; instead, they carried a strange undertone.

"Therefore, once I officially ascend the throne and become the Empress of the Granville Empire... I will never allow these distracting thoughts and wild fantasies to be displayed to the world or to my subjects."

"In my father's words, learning to wear different masks at different times is a required course for a qualified king - in front of his subjects, a king should always maintain a superior and always correct appearance."

"Speaking of which, wearing a mask and all that... is actually in your comfort zone, Rust."

A subtle smile involuntarily appeared on Hiltina's lips.

"To this day, I still remember the scene when we met in a bar in Deep Blue Harbor late at night."

"At that time, my first impression of you was quite bad. I thought you were a smooth talker who made cheesy jokes and was all show and no substance, a lecherous man with a handsome face but nothing inside."

"Looking back now, that flirtatious gigolo persona was probably one of your most common masks."

"To be honest, I don't really like you when you wear a mask... Although you are indeed more proper, more composed, and more likable when you wear a mask, the stiff smile painted on the mask seems too exaggerated and pretentious to me."

"What I truly love is that you whose mask occasionally slips off, revealing your true self in those fleeting moments of vulnerability."

Hiltina still held the boy's hand tightly with one hand, while her other hand involuntarily reached out.

Then, she gently stroked the boy's sleeping face.

When Lust is awake, he gives off an elusive and all-knowing vibe, so much so that people subconsciously overlook his appearance.

However, when he was asleep, the boy's face looked much more youthful. His facial features were not sharp and distinct, but rather soft and gentle, and could even be described as innocent and naive.

Back when they wiped out the cult at Deep Blue Harbor and were preparing for the Iron Cross Battle Royale, Hiltina had a brief glimpse of what Rust looked like when he was asleep.

This was the first time Hiltina's feelings towards Rust began to change. In the words of Dean Yin, an expert on emotions and gossip, it was also the moment the seed of love sprouted between them.

"You're even cuter without the mask on...isn't that right?"

"As childish as a child."

"And what about myself...? I ran away from home for a dream I casually mentioned as a child, a dream called 'the forest ranger.'"

"At our core, we are just naive children, completely out of place in the adult world outside, utterly alien."

"However, it is precisely because of this disconnect from the world, this sense of being out of place..."

“People who are different should stick together and support each other.”

Hiltina's fingers slid down the boy's cheek, then paused when they reached his chest.

"As the master of the holy sword, as the empress of the empire."

“I must never utter these weak and confused words before others, before the people of the country… not even my sister Ophelia.”

“But I think you, Rust, are the only exception…”

She spoke softly like that.

"Last."

"To me, you are not simply a subject of the Empire, nor a classmate of Star University, nor a comrade who fought alongside me in the Night World."

"You are one of a kind."

“Whether it’s Ophelia, my father and stepmother, or even my biological mother, none of them can replace you.”

"Empress Hiltina of the Granville Empire must never reveal the slightest weakness or cowardice in front of outsiders."

"However, as the person you are betrothed to, as Last's fiancée, Hiltina can freely show this weakness in front of her fiancé, and confide her confusion and cowardice."

"So, in these very last few hours before I become Empress..."

She slipped her hands under the pristine white sheets and gently wrapped them around the boy's neck.

"Last."

"Please bear with my weakness and willfulness for a while."

This was their second embrace. The last one was in the Night World's Echoes of History, after the explosion in the port area, in the icy waters of Deep Blue Harbor... To prevent Rust from being swept away by the giant waves created by the shockwave of the explosion, Hiltina held him tightly, helping him stabilize himself in the water.

But now, it's no longer the same embrace of mutual support and sympathy that happened three years ago... The boy in Hiltina's arms is warm, with a burning temperature.

“I love you the most, Rust.”

"So, we must stay together forever and ever, and you must never leave me."

……

Ding-ling, ding-ling~
The faint chimes of the clock beside the bed pulled Hiltina's consciousness back to the real world.

It was already evening.

The sunlight streaming through the glass windows of the ward was no longer the golden yellow of the previous afternoon, but stained with a blood-red hue.

"Sister Wang."

A soft knock came from outside the ward.

Then Ophelia pushed open the door and entered, calling softly from the doorway:
"Your coronation ceremony is about to begin."

"Okay, I understand, Ophelia."

Hiltina nodded: "Have the driver come over first. Preparations can begin in the capital. I'll be down in a bit."

After saying these words, Hiltina quietly stood up.

She turned to look at the boy on the hospital bed:

"Indeed, only by your side can I calm myself down and find a moment of peace."

"However, our rest time has come to an end."

As soon as she finished speaking, the confusion, weakness, timidity, and even lingering look on Hiltina's fair face vanished completely.

Instead, there is pure tranquility.

However, within that absolute silence, there was a chilling sense of impending doom.

If someone were to immerse their consciousness in the spiritual world, they would find that at this moment, Hiltina's spiritual symbol is like a knight's sword with its sharp edge fully exposed, filled with a fierce killing intent.

It's like a warrior sharpening his weapon before heading to the battlefield... Even before the sword is drawn, you can already hear the clang of the sword in its scabbard.

The sharp energy emanated from the spiritual world and was reflected in reality, leaving the corridor outside the ward covered with tiny slash marks.

This is a manifestation of Hiltina's mental image; her overly powerful thoughts have interfered with the scenery of reality, forming an invisible domain around her, but avoiding only Rust's sickbed.

Although Hiltina's personality is not as calculating as Ophelia's.

However, after issuing a proclamation to the entire Western Continent to protect that boy, she naturally knew that countless powerful enemies, angels, and even evil gods would be waiting for her at the upcoming coronation ceremony.

But she didn't care.

Compared to the "royal power" that she only reached after wielding the Holy Sword, the "chariot" is Hiltina's true origin.

What the chariot is meant to do is crush everything in its path... Even if a mountain appears in front of Hiltina, she will not go around it, but will only cut it down with a single sword strike.

"Last."

"Two years ago, you stepped forward to protect me when I was hesitating between royal responsibilities and my own ideals, and was caught in confusion and struggle."

Her chestnut-brown hair swayed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Hiltina had already stood up, leaving only her chilling words echoing in the evening breeze.

"Now, it's my turn to protect you."

"Go and protect..."

"The future between you and me."

(End of this chapter)